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The Aix-Marseille-Provence Region, Alstom and a designer from Marseille have finalised the design of both the interior and exterior of the city’s new metro vehicles. The first batch will start to appear on the tracks in 2023 for a test phase. The new fleet is due to enter revenue service with drivers in 2024 and to go driverless, after the installation of platform screen doors, by end 2026 (line M2) and end 2027 (line M1).

Following a consultation with the inhabitants of the region, the final design of the vehicles was chosen by a ballot, in which the winning design received 44% of the votes cast.  The design is inspired by the region with the Mediterranean sunlight of Marseille being the main theme.

Accessibility was also a main focus, ensuring that all can easily travel by metro by having a floorplan that takes different abilities into account. Trains and the train-platform interface were designed through an iterative process involving PRM associations.

The vehicles have also been designed so that up to 96% of the vehicle can be recovered and recycled. Its green credentials also include a reduction of 25% of electricity thanks to electric brakes, LED lighting and other upgrades. 

The modernisation of the system does not stop at the vehicles, but extends to the stations, 7 of which will be fully accessible by 2023 with 16 more starting their upgrades in 2024. Some stations such as Saint-Margueritte and Capitaine Gèze have already had lifts installed. 

The conversion of Marseille’s two metro lines to fully automated operations was announced in 2015.

Source: RTM, Métropole Aix-Marseille-Provence, Alstom 

The M7 is Istanbul’s second FAO line

After line M5 in 2017, Metro Istanbul inaugurated its second fully automated metro line, the M7, on 28 October. The first phase of the new line, running between Mecidiyeköy and Mahmutbey Kabataş, is 18.5km long and comprises 15 stations.

Upon completion, the line will be 32km long. It will be entirely located on the European side of Istanbul and will connect Kabataş to Esenyurt.

The supplier of rolling stock is South Korea’s Hyundai Rotem, which received an order of 30 four-car trains. 20 of the trains in this order will be used for the M7 while the remaining 10 are expected to serve on the M8, a line due to open next year.

Trains, as well as stations, are designed to be 100% accessible for passengers with reduced mobility. Stations are equipped with full-height platform screen doors.

More information and a photo gallery on the new line are available on the M7 factsheet.

Source: Metro Istanbul

One of the two new stations on the M4

On 28 March trains started running on the new Copenhagen line M4, the fourth line of the city’s fully automated metro network. With two new stations, the new line connects Nordhavn (an old industrial area under new development) to the rest of the Metro System in Copenhagen, sharing part of the route with the line M3 – Cityringen.

Because of the coronavirus outbreak in Denmark, all the celebrations in connections with the opening of the M4 line and the two stations – Nordhavn and Orientkaj – were cancelled. Despite a tight schedule, Metroselskabet (the transport authority) and Metro Service (the operator) successfully managed to meet all required deadlines.

With eight stops from the Copenhagen Central Station to Orientkaj in Nordhavn, the M4 doubles the number of departures across the city centre.

The Copenhagen Metro now operates four automated metro lines and with the opening of M4 covers 39.5 km, has 39 stations and is expected to carry more than 120 million passengers each year. A further extension of M4 with five additional stations has already started and is expected to open in 2024.

All the Copenhagen Metro lines are operated and maintained by Metro Service A/S, a privately held company and joint venture between ATM (Azienda Trasporti Milanesi) and Hitachi Rail STS. The latter company has also supplied trains and systems for the entire Copenhagen Metro.

Source: Metroselkabet I/S and Metro Service A/S

Test test test

Mid-December, after approximately three years of planning, the budget was approved for the first section (5.8 km) of the new fully automated metro line U5 in Hamburg.

U5 will be a new arterial route running through the city from Bramfeld to Arenen/Volkspark

The end of the planning approval process is expected in 2020 and construction is expected to start by the end of 2021.

Video of the future U5 route

Source: Hamburger Hochbahn

New Delhi Pink Line

Delhi Metro Rail Corporation (DMRC) is planning to introduce driverless operations for two metro lines in New Delhi in 2020.

The Mangenta and Pink lines, opened in 2017 and 2018 respectively, were designed to allow fully automated operation. Read more →

The Gimpo Gold Line in northwestern Seoul opened on 28 September. It has 10 stations and is just under 24km long.

The new line connects Gimpo International Airport to Yangchon station further northwest and offers connections to Seoul Metro lines 5 and 9.

Stations, nine of which are underground, are equipped with platform screen doors.

The 2-car vehicles were supplied by Hyundai Rotem and the signalling is by Nippon Signal.

The new line is operated by Gimpo Goldline Operation, a subsidiary of Seoul Metro, the South Korean capital’s main metro operator.

After the Shinbundang line and Ui-Sinseol LRT, the Gimpo Gold Line is the third fully automated metro line in Seoul. There are also fully automated lines in three neighbouring cities: Incheon, Uijeongbu and Yongin. Other such lines in South Korea can be found in the southeastern cities of Deagu and Busan.

Source: Seoul Metro

Queen Margrethe during opening ceremony (© Ditte Valente/Metroselskabet)

On 29 September, Queen Margrethe of Denmark officially opened Copenhagen Metro’s new line M3. The opening was also celebrated by the President of the Italian Republic Sergio Mattarella, who visited the M3 Control and Maintenance Centre on 8 October.

The M3 line is 15.5 km long with 17 underground stations. Each station is developed with unique architecture to reflect the local neighbourhood surrounding the station. Read more →

Inside Frederiksberg Allé station on line M3 (© Ditte Valente)

Metroselskabet A/S, the operating authority of the Copenhagen metro, has announced that the city’s new Metro line M3 started its trial run on 24 June, under the responsibility of the operator, Metro Service. Read more →

Taichung city (© Forgemind ArchiMedia/Flickr)

A seven-day trial run was successfully completed early July on the automated metro Green Line, in Taichung, Taiwan, the city’s Rapid Transit System Office announced.

Scheduled to open in 2020, the Green Line will be 16.7km long, will be mostly elevated (15.94km elevated, 0.77km at ground level) and will have 18 stations. Read more →

Map of future Buenos Aires metro network (Line F in orange)

Sbase, the organising authority for the Buenos Aires metro, has launched a tender for a consultant to develop the technical specifications for the future metro Line F, which will be fully automated and will link the Palermo district in the north and Barracas district in the south of the city.

As a first step, the consultant will be required to analyse the original blueprint for the line and propose any alternatives. This step will include the layout, accessibility, passenger circulation and evacuation, etc. Then the consultant will need to prepare the tenders for the line including the technical specifications for construction. Power, signalling and communications, as well as rolling stock, will be included in the tender preparation.

Line F will be 12km long and will have 13 stations (11 underground and two elevated). Stations will be equipped with platform screen doors. The line is expected to carry approximately 600.000 passengers per day. The estimated cost for construction is 2m US dollars.

The new line will be the first to use a tunnel boring machine for construction.

Source: City of Buenos Aires